Clinics

Family Planning And Maternity Care

All aspects of family planning and maternity care can be discussed with your doctor. Caps, coils and implants are fitted at the health centre by special appointment.

Emergency contraception is also available for which you need to consult within 72 hours.

Weekly antenatal clinics are held at the health centre by doctors and midwife.

Child Health

We undertake routine immunisations and an infant and child development clinic is held regularly. Our health visitors run weekly weighing and advice clinics. To find out when and where your local clinic is please contact the Health visitors on 01293 651733.

Disease Prevention And Monitoring Clinics

Regular clinics for chronic diseases such as diabetes, asthma and high blood pressure, are run by the practice nurses and doctors. We offer routine vaccinations including tetanus, flu and pneumococcal vaccination. We also monitor blood levels in our patients on warfarin at the surgery.

Travel Clinic And Yellow Fever Centre

Our practice nurse runs a regular clinic to give vaccinations and advice to those travelling abroad. If you require travel vaccinations or information please pick up a travel questionnaire or complete/download one here. Please phone reception one week after you have returned your form as this will give the nurse time to look up your history and determine your needs, and an appointment can be booked for you if necessary.

Please note that while some of your vaccinations are free there is a charge for certain vaccines.

As the vaccines are not immediately effective, please contact us at least 8 weeks before you travel (allow 12 weeks for a trip in a remote area)

Ear Syringing

(WE NO LONGER ROUTINELY SYRINGE EARS)

Ear, nose and throat specialists have recommended that a new, alternative treatment is used for wax that is causing deafness. This is because ear syringing quite often leads to ear damage such as infection or perforated ear drums. It is our intention at Crawley Down Health Centre to follow their recommendation.

Recommendation now is to put 2 or 3 drops of ordinary olive oil or sodium bicarbonate ear drops (available from a chemist) down the ear 2 or 3 times a day for 3 weeks. This softens the wax so that it then runs out of its own accord. It does not harm the ear. You can continue for any length of time, but 3 weeks is usually enough. Surprisingly, you will not necessarily see wax come out. It often seems to come out unnoticed. If after 3 weeks or more you are still deaf from wax, you will need to make an appointment with a nurse to decide what should be done.

If you know you have a wax problem causing deafness and that your ear is healthy, you can start the treatment for yourself. We recommend olive oil or Sodium Bicarbonate only. We do NOT recommend specially formulated preparations that can be purchased which are not olive oil: this is because they can irritate healthy ears.

If you are deaf and you do not know why, you should see a nurse. If we find it is wax causing it we will advise the olive oil treatment for a minimum of 3 weeks.

We know that you may be disappointed in this treatment if you have been used to syringing. However, ear syringing can lead to ear infections, perforated ear drums, tinnitus, canal lacerations and failure of wax removal. We must provide effective and safe treatment and we feel sure that you will agree.

We occasionally have to undertake syringing for medical reasons. This has to be decided by the nurse who will ensure that the risks are explained. Only if the patient agrees to accept these risks, will we then do it.

Wax normally comes out of the ear with the skin, from the canal which grows from deep inside and moves to the outer ear over about 2 weeks.

If you have, or suspect you have, any kind of ear problem other than wax, you should not put anything down the ear except after advice.